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Mind invader
A Mind invader is a mutant who practices possession, the act of navigating through the many layers of a person's mind and correctly interpreting one's findings. When cast successfully, they also place the victim completely under the Mind invader's control, though a person with exceptional strength of will is capable of resisting it. Muggles might call them "mind readers," but practitioners disdain the term as naive. The opposite of Mind invaders is Shielders, who may be able to shield their minds from the invasion and influence of a Mind invader. Description Apart from probing the mind, possession also allows Mind invaders to control people as an extension. Being subjected to Mind invaders — when adequately cast — is painful when the mind is being probed. However, when it is used to control others, it is not an unpleasant experience, in fact, quite the opposite; the victim of possession is placed in a calm, trance-like state in which all feeling of responsibility and anxiety is banished (drawing parallels to the real-world phenomenon of , which is also often portrayed in fiction — albeit inaccurately — of being capable of placing someone under the complete control of another by placing them in a theta state). However, when Sebiscuits was possessed, he believed that his possession may not have been very strong, thus the sensation from casting a more powerful attack may be more intense than the known account. An adequately possessed being is placed under the caster's total control and may be directed to do anything the caster wishes, including crimes such as murder, political corruption, embezzlement, and even suicide. Also, whilst under the caster's control, the attack may also endow the victim with whatever skills that are required in order to complete the task at hand, such as increased strength or allowing them to fight far above their level. For example, when possessed, Andromeda was able to perform a series of "quite astonishing gymnastics" under the superpower that she would not normally be capable of. It is possible for someone who has been possessed to possess others as well, so long as they have the ability to do so. It is also possible that the Knight of Plague Sebastian Lestange possessed Fredrick Powell to possess other high-ranking members of the government in order to facilitate the overthrow of the President. When the work of Mind invaders is terminated — for whatever reason — the victims become themselves again, as happened after the final defeat of Mr. Stupid NoHead in the First Battle of the NoHead Base, when all of the people across the country who had been possessed by him were released from the power. Also, any pain that the possession has negated by the pleasant sensation would return, along with any other pain that the victim suffered for the duration of the attack. Although it is possible to possess Secret Keepers to control them, it is impossible to use it to make them divulge the secret, as it must be done on the Keeper's free will. Resistance Resisting Mind invaders is possible, but requires great strength of will and character. Baby Intelligence, George Thames II and Whammo Fireball each learned to resist Mind invaders after being subjected to their effects, though the latter two took quite a long time before building the said resistance. History It is unknown who was the first Mind invader and when the art of possession was invented. It is safe to assume that Mind invaders have existed for a fairly long time, as Lord Xamera, a very skilled Mind invader, lived in the 11th century. Other mutants have used possession on several different occasions as well. Annabeth, a skilled Mind invader, used possession on Bartholomew Gales while attempting to train him in Mind resistance in 2017. Mr. Stupid NoHead was considered the greatest Mind invader of all time. He has used possession extensively to enter the minds of those he wished to interrogate. It was even said that it was "the dark lord's pleasure to invade the mind". Due to the link between himself and Baby Intelligence, both can access each other's thoughts if NoHead does not block it off with mind resistance. Methods If a target is not skilled in Mind resistance, a Mind invader will be able to detect if the person is lying, as well as delve into their thoughts, emotions, and memories. Highly skilled Mind invaders can also influence a mind that they invade; for example, Hell Burnbottom temporarily possessed Lindsay Kellerman (which was extremely painful to Kellerman, to the point where she begged Master Intelligence to kill her, just to relieve her of the pain). The Gladiator, considered perhaps the most skilled Mind invader of his time, was able to send Lindsay incredibly realistic visions of Transylvania Quarters and the Grand Bomb. It is easier to perform mind control when the target and practitioners' eyes meet. Like Mind resistance, possession is not regularly taught at Superhero School. Considering that it invades peoples' privacy, Mind invaders may be legally restricted from using their talents, just as the use of Turan is strictly regulated by the U.S. Government. Instances of possible mind control Known Mind invaders Hell Burnbottom.jpg|Hell Burnbottom (possibly) No image.jpg|Mr. Crooked NoHead Xamera.jpg|Lady Xamera Annabeth body.jpg|Annabeth Black Mr. Stupid NoHead.jpg|Mr. Stupid NoHead The Super Babies books rohb promostills 3.jpg|Baby Intelligence (indirectly) Behind the scenes Whilst Annabeth chides Bartholomew for assuming that mind control and mind-reading are the same, she does not elaborate on the differences at all (save for saying that mind control is much subtler and more complicated than that). In fact, she even states that it would be possible for an advanced Mind invader like Mr. Stupid NoHead to read another's mind. However, given all the canonical information one can work out a reasonable distinction between the two; mind-reading assumes that one is simply eavesdropping on the thoughts currently running through the head of another. Telepathy, however, appears to actually require the mutant to navigate and move through the various areas of the brain. Whilst it would therefore be theoretically possible then, for one to access the area controlling conscious thought (and hence "read another's mind") other areas of the brain are open to the Mind invader too, such as the area housing memory and the part of the mind controlling the voluntary muscles. This would fit with Annabeth's description of the mind being a many layered thing, as well as Burnbottom's apparent ability to possess Lindsay Kellerman in this way and how Bartholomew is seen delving through Annabeth's memories using possession (As opposed to just hearing her current thoughts like a stream of consciousness). It would also support Annabeth's assertion that equating possession to mind-reading would be a fallacious, reductionist attitude towards such a skill. Ironically, in the first few chapters of , Sean suspected Annabeth was capable of reading minds (though Annabeth says she does not care for the term "mind reading," considering it an oversimplification). The concepts of telepathy and mind control are often confused throughout the series, yet it can be assumed that mind invaders can read minds whilst also being another name for a telepath, thus having two definitions. Mind control is controlling people's thoughts, whereas telepathy is simply knowing what they are. Possible Mind invaders Hell Burnbottom may have been a Mind invader as he is known to have trained Brute Gunray and Mean King in mind resistance; presumably he had to be able to penetrate their minds with possession in order to teach them how to repel such an attack. However, it is also possible that he simply coached them on repelling mental assault whilst having someone else attempt possession on him during practice. He also hinted at this ability twice when Whammo Fireball. Baby Intelligence was able to use his connection to Mr. Stupid NoHead to briefly invade the latter's mind to determine his location. However, it is unknown whether Baby Intelligence was using possession to accomplish this. If he was using possession, he may have been using it in a very indirect approach. Appearances * * * * * * In , Sean states that he gets the feeling Annabeth can read minds, when Annabeth is looking right at him, and when Annabeth knows things she wouldn't know unless Annabeth was reading Sean's mind. * * See also *Mind control *Shielder *Telepathy Notes and references Category:Mind control